


Into her eyes

by anotherouatwriter



Series: Idiots in scrubs [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Doctor Mills and Resident Swan, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 20:44:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4152282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anotherouatwriter/pseuds/anotherouatwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Emma's father made her assist some surgeries during her school break, she never thought she would find the most beautiful pair of eyes she had ever seen. </p>
<p>When Regina saw Dr. Swan's daughter entering into her Operation Room, she never imagined the green-eyed girl would reciprocate her feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter I

**Author's Note:**

> I know what Emma does in this chapter is not allowed in many countries, but it is allowed in mine. A med student can enter into an OR if the surgeon is responsible for the student.
> 
> Thank you, Sam, for correcting the typos and making it better!

Emma Swan remembered perfectly the first time she had met Dr. Regina Mills. It had been four years ago, when Emma was nothing but a med student and Regina was the resident anesthesiologist, fresh out of specialization.

Emma was in holidays, and her father thought it would be good for the future doctor to gain experience by his side. And so, Emma Swan ended up walking into the OR, already dressed for surgery, next to her father.

Inside her father's OR there was already another doctor, she was talking to the patient, a pregnant lady, explaining the procedure she would do. By Emma's basic level of knowledge, she could deduce the other doctor was an anesthesiologist.

"Dr. Mills, this is my daughter, Emma Swan," her father introduced her to the doctor.

At the mention of her name, the anesthesiologist raised her gaze for the patient to father and daughter. She was also completely dressed, and everything Emma could really see were the doctor's eyes. For any ordinary person, they would have been plain brown eyes, but for Emma they were a pool of dark chocolate and coffee, her two favorite things, so inviting.

"Emma," David interrupted his daughter's trance, "This is Regina Mills, the latest addition to our surgical team," he said and Emma didn't know who made his father prouder, Regina or herself.

"Nice to meet you," Emma muttered, still half lost in Regina's eyes.

"Likewise," she replied, but her gaze was already back in the patient.

As soon as the patient was asleep David and Whale, another obstetrician, started the c-section. The two doctors would explain everything that occurred during pregnancy to Emma as they performed different procedures while the student pretended to pay attention, when she was really stealing quick glares towards the anesthesiologist's corner.

"Pregnancy should be defined as pathology," Emma thought out loud, and almost slapped herself when everyone turned to look at her, even Regina "It ends with a wonderful thing, yes; but you can't tell me all this pain and all this is normal," she tried to explain her thoughts waving her hand over the open abdomen.

Surprisingly, it was Regina who answered to Emma.

"That's how you know the term was defined by a man," she said "It should be defined as a reaction to a foreign body"

Whale gave so statements to refuse Regina's opinions, but the women had their mind made about the topic. When Whale gave up on arguing with Regina, they went back to the obstetricians explaining things to Emma, and both women staying quiet.

As an addict who is deprived from their drug, Emma kept on looking at the place where Regina was sitting, checking on the patient's vital signs. Every once in a while, Regina would look up and stare into Emma's eyes, then she would go back to the patient's vital signs. Each time, Emma would find herself more and more drawn into the brunette's eyes; and each time, Regina would get more annoyed and uncomfortable by it.

When the baby was delivered and the mother's stomach was sutured, David told Emma to go and change into normal clothes so they could go and have lunch. Emma looked one last time towards the chair where Regina, who now was talking to the newly mother, had been sitting and walked out of the OR and towards the changing room

Thankfully, Emma found the changing room empty, she really didn't really feel like talking with her father's colleages. Nor her mother's, who was also a doctor working at this clinic. Emma took of the mask and scrubs and threw them away, then she prodeced to change into normal clothes. She was taking her shirt off when someone stormed into the room and pushed her against the lockers, it was Dr. Mills.

Regina was not longer wearing the mask and Emma could finally see Regina's lips, they were perfect, with the exception of the little scar above her lips; but it didn't make Regina less attractive, it made her real and interesting. Emma gulped, the contact of her bare abdomen against Regina's fingers, which held her against the lockers, made it hard for her to concentrate on whatever Regina was going to complain about.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Regina growled "You make me want to cheat on my husband,"

"I can't," Emma snapped back, she was not the one to stay quiet.

"Why?" The question was accompanied by Regina tightening her fingers around Emma's sides, probably hurting the blonde - or turning her on.

"Because you make me want to cheat on my boyfriend too," Regina seemed taken aback with the answer, because she let got of Emma and fixed one of her brown locks of hair behind her ear.

Emma took the doctor's silence as an invitation to invade her personal space, so she took one step forward. Now, Regina was almost pressed against the mirror; the brunette didn't back off or look away, she kept on staring into Emma's eyes, noticing how the blonde's eyes shifted between her lips and her eyes, almost as a seductive dance.

"Mills," Emma let a whisper out, it was filled with lust and it turned Regina on, no one had ever said her last-named with so much passion.

' _She's leaning in_ ,' Regina thought as she saw the blonde getting dangerously close to her 's _he's actually going to kiss me!_ '. And then the thrill of doing something forbidden became guilt and panic started to build inside her chest. And Regina took a step back.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, pressing her hand against Emma's shoulder to keep the other woman at a decent distance and then ran away as if her pants were on fire.

Emma looked at the door that had closed after Regina left. ' _What was she sorry for?_ '


	2. Chapter II

It had been four years since Regina last saw her. And how had they both changed in that time, at least Regina knew she had; she was basically a completely different person now. At first, the anesthesiologist thought she had seen a ghost when she saw a mane of blonde hair disappear into the changing rooms, but when she saw a more-mature-looking Emma walking into the OR she knew she was not going crazy - which was always a good thing to know.

It seemed like the years had been kinder to Emma than they had been to Regina, not because the anesthesiologist had aged, but because she was a shadow of the confident woman she used to be, life had made her that way. Emma, however, had an aura of positiveness around her that even Regina could feel from the other side of the OR.

She would be lying if she said she didn't wonder about Emma every once in a while during these past years, and was silently thankful every time David talked about his daughter's achievements with Whale during surgery, but seeing her all dressed up in the OR made Regina so happy that words couldn't even start explaining it.

"Good morning, everyone!" Emma said cheerfully as one of the nurses dressed her. "Aunt Ruby, how are you in this fine day?"

"Much better now that I see you in such a good mood," Ruby commented "I hadn't seen you like that since..." her voice trailed off.

"Ah, well," Emma shrugged, but Regina noticed she was not as cheerful as few minutes before "Today I woke up and decided that six months of crying and not sleeping was enough,"

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Ruby smiled at the girl she loved as a niece "Don't worry, Emma, we have all dated assholes, some us of even married them, right Regina?"

Emma looked straight into Regina's eyes, acknowledging her for the first time since she entered the OR, as the nurse held the sterile gloves for her to wear and Regina realized that the emerald eyes still had the same hypnotizing effect they used to have four years ago. And it made Regina's stomach do things it shouldn't do, not since Daniel.

Regina silently thank God that the mask covered her mouth and no one could see that Emma had left her breathless, then she returned her attention to Ruby "Why are we talking about my love life?" she knew Ruby had not meant it as hurtful or mean comment, but she had said that to make Emma see that whatever teenager drama she bad with her boyfriend was going to be alright with time.

"So that Emma sees she's not alone."

"I know I'm not alone," Emma whined, not wanting to discuss her love life with Regina either. The sensation of the anesthesiologist's fingers grabbing her waist was still burning her mind. And the coffee eyes didn't help either.

Ruby chuckled "But you are," she commented as she opened her patient's thorax "literally, alone... But it is not your fault, clearly he was into something else," Ruby chuckled again "I always told you he was weird,"

If glares could kill, Emma would have murdered Ruby with the look she had just directed towards the other woman "Thank you for, once again, reminding me that my boyfriend ran away with my best friend," the blonde gritted her teeth.

"Her male best friend," Ruby added for Regina's understanding, and suddenly the anesthesiologist was feeling awkward between the two doctors who were a lot like family so she decided to turn her attention into the patient's medical history.

Emma had also decided to end the topic and turned her attention towards operation, ignoring her aunt from now on. She knew Ruby had never liked Neal, neither did her parents, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt when he left with Killian. She lost two of the people she loved the most that day, people shouldn't take it lightly around her. She knew Ruby meant well, she knew her aunt and godmother just wanted to turn it into a joke so Emma wouldn't hurt anymore. But it didn't work that way, at least not for Emma.

It was not Ruby who broke the kind of uncomfortable silence after what felt like decades, but Regina, who had been studying Emma as she tried to suture a punctured lung and felt that it was only fair to tell her story since Emma's had been so cruelly exposed.

"My husband left me, too," she said and Emma looked up to look at her "not with a man, at least that would make him some-what interesting. My divorce was totally a cliché, couple of them actually: he was having an affair with his secretary, and the nanny, and girl next door,"

"And your assistant," Ruby added.

"Yes, and my assistant, thanks for kindly pointing that out," Regina commented, but she didn't sound sad or hurt. Her divorce with Daniel had been almost two years ago. And she liked to believe she was in a better place now, even though she knew it was a lie. "All of them thought he would leave me for them, but he didn't,"

"Not until Regina found out and threw out the window all his possessions," Ruby, once again, gave more information than someone would agree on sharing.

But Regina smiled at the moment, remembering how some of Daniel's things broke when they crashed against the floor, how he had found his belongings, scattered throughout the floor. "That scuba diving tank was really heavy,"

"You threw his scuba diving equipment out the window?" Emma asked, eyes as wide like saucers. Regina nodded "Wow, you are my hero,"

The comment, intended as an innocent admiration, made Regina blush. And this time, the effect that Emma had on Regina, didn't go unnoticed by Ruby, who knew both Emma and Regina too well. It made an idea click in her brain and her matchmaker mind started to come up with ideas to bring both ladies together.

"So, Regina, since Emma is new in town, you should show her around,"

"I grew up here," Emma narrowed her stare towards Ruby, trying to figure out what was the aunt up to.

"But it has changed so much since you started Med School, Regina should totally show you around,"

It felt as if Ruby was throwing a fresh piece of meat to a hungry wolf, and truth to be told, it made both women feel uneasy.

"If I promise to take her out will you stop making this surgery the most uncomfortable surgery in my life?" Ruby nodded at Regina's question "Fine, Emma tonight we are going out,"

"But -,"

"I don't care, I don't want Ruby telling about my love life to any other nurse or surgeon," Regina interrupted Emma. She wanted both women to believe she felt it was an obligation, when really she was almost thrilled to go out with Emma. "I'll pick you up at seven,"

If Regina wanted to spend a Friday night with her, who was Emma to say no? Emma nodded and smiled at Regina before she returned her gaze to the open chest. The patient's heart was beating at a normal rate, and Emma wondered how did a heart look when its owner was excited - like she was, just by thinking about her date with Regina.

She joined her mother for lunch, who decided to sit with Belle, they were both pediatricians. Emma hadn't eaten half of her lunch when she realized sitting with her mother and Belle meant discussing cases - no wonder her father and Ruby sat on a different table.

The blonde glared around the clinic's restaurant. First, she found her father, sitting with Whale, if they were talking about gynecology and obstetrics, Emma was sure as hell that it was a conversation she didn't want to join. She continued looking around and her eyes locked with Regina's, who was sitting across the room with a guy and two girls Emma had never seen before. Emma smiled at Regina and the brunette waved at her, then motioned her to come and join them.

"Uh, mom?" Emma addressed her mother "I'll go and join Regina, if you don't mind,"

"Of course not, sweetheart!" Emma hated when her mother called her like that, "I bet it's more interesting to sit with doctors your age than with us," Mary Margaret added with a smile that made Emma's dislike for the nickname used by her mother disappear

Emma picked up her tray of food and after excusing herself with her mother and Belle, she walked towards the table where Regina was sitting.

Regina greeted her with a beautiful smile "Everyone, this is Emma Swan, our new Resident," she told the people who were sitting with her, "Emma, this are Robin and Marian Hood, trauma and immunology respectively," the anesthesiologist introduced the couple, by their shared last-named, Emma could deduced they were married "And Tatiana Mostinkova, but we just call her Tink, she's our pharmacist,"

They all greeted and shook Emma's hand and then asked her from which University she came and about the specialization she wanted to do. The Hoods instantly liked her because they all went to the same university, they questioned her with which professors still taught, who had gone softy and who was still a bitch. Emma enjoyed the conversation, specially when they touched the specialization topic and they all pulled to their own, except Regina, who told Emma she should be a surgeon. Their conversation soon reached its end because the Hoods' and Tink's breaks were over.

"About tonight," Emma started when it was only Regina and her at the table "You don't really have to spend your friday night with me, I bet you had other plans," the blonde waited for the brunette to reply, but when nothing came out from Regina's mouth Emma said "You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage, Regina,"

Regina studied Emma, biting her lower lip. What if she told Emma the truth and scared her off? Or even worse, what if she shared her feelings? Could they both deal with another relationship and possible break-up?

'20 seconds,' she thought, and then she decided to go with the truth, "I'm actually looking forward spending my evening with you," when Emma's smile grew wider, Regina realized telling the truth had been the right decision.

"Good," Emma laid back on the chair she was sitting on "Because I can't wait to see you in a dress," she added, and Regina's blush made her out of line comment worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "The 20 seconds of courage" part is a quote from We Bought a Zoo


	3. Chapter III

Emma laid against the wall as she recovered from the 12 hours long operation that she and Ruby had just performed. It had been a successful one, but they had to work extremely hard to get that result. It didn't matter to Emma, though; today a mother would receive a healthy kid, who would hopefully live a beautiful life. She smiled to herself. Today she was someone's hero, today she had given someone a reason to live. And that was why she had chosen to become a doctor in the first place: to save people's lives.

Her thoughts trailed off to her own life and to certain anaesthesiologist, who had stayed with a still sleepy child in the OR, and their date later on the evening. She had smiled at Emma before the blonde left the room. Regina's smile was like coffee for Emma, she felt like she could have another 12 hours long surgery after seeing the brunette grin.

"I thought I would see you passed out in the couch," Regina commented, as she entered into the surgeon's lounge, "That operation was physically demanding, I'd understand if you want to cancel tonight's plans,"

"Not a chance in hell," Emma replied, pushing her body off the wall and walking towards Regina, "Unless  _you_  changed your mind,"

"Once my mind is set in something, Miss Swan, it is not easy to change it,"

"Well, then," Emma bypassed Regina, "I'll go home to clean up,"

"Emma," the blonde heard when she was almost exiting the lounge, she turned on her heels to face Regina, who had walked towards her on the mean time "I'll pick you up at seven,"

Emma nodded and without thinking about it, leaned to kiss Regina on the cheek. She quickly backed off and felt her cheeks burning up, "See you later, Alligator," Emma said and practically ran out of the room.

 _'See you later, Alligator?!'_ How old was she? Ten? _S_ he scolded herself as she walked towards her car. ' _Regina must think I'm an idiot,'_ she thought, almost in a cry.

However, the brunette didn't think Emma was an idiot, far from it, actually. If only Emma would have turned around, she would have noticed that Regina was looking at her, with her fingers covering the area that Emma had kissed and a smile on her face.

Emma drove home, and ran straight towards shower. She had to impress Regina, even if she was not sure if Regina was romantically interested on her. Emma knew this was her only chance with the anaesthesiologist. She decided to wear a short black dress that her mother had got her for last year's fundraiser and dressed her feet with flats, Regina was shorter than her, so there was no point on wearing high heels. Last, but not least, she worked on her hair, thanking all the Gods that her curls were having a good day and looked decent enough to let her blonde mane fall freely over her shoulders.

Surprisingly enough, Emma was ready before Regina passed by to pick her up. So, the blonde decided to join her family in the kitchen while she waited for her date.

Mary Margaret was the first to comment on Emma's appearance - because apparently, she never looked that nice when she went on a date with Neal. Emma's mother asked her daughter what were her plans for the evening. Emma told her she was going out with Regina, which made both of her parents to smile knowingly, which made Emma wonder if they had teamed up with Ruby and planned on being the wing-men or fairy godparents of Emma and Regina's  _relation._

Regina arrived at seven, not a minute more nor less, a quality David had always admired. He let Regina into their house and guided her towards the kitchen, where Emma was still talking with her mother and younger brother, Henry, while the oldest woman made dinner for her family.

Almost as the first time Emma saw Regina, she was left breathless at the brunette's sight. Regina was wearing a red dress which hugged her curves perfectly and a pair of black fuck-me stilettos. The blonde's heart accelerated and her hands got cold and sweaty, and she was looking at Regina with her jaw semi-opened - she needed to say something. Emma tried hard to think about a compliment, but Henry beat her to it and commented how beautiful Regina looked and how he wished to have a beautiful date like her someday.

"Easy, cowboy! Don't you dare stealing my date," Emma said as she ruffled his hair.

Regina and Emma didn't waste time at the Swan household, as soon as they could get away from Emma's excited parents, they left the house and their date started. The air was chilly outside, just like Emma remembered early autumn nights at Storybrooke.

"I think they teamed up with Ruby to fix date for us," Emma commented as they walked towards Regina's car. "They just hate that I haven't been with anyone after Neal left. I feel sorry you got dragged into this,"

"I wouldn't had agreed to something I didn't want to do, Emma," Regina replied with a smile that made Emma's world stop for a while.

Then, the two ladies got into Regina's black Mercedes and drove down town. Their conversation flowed naturally, and it made both feel comfortable in each other's company. Once again they ended up talking about Emma's plans for the future; the anaesthesiologist seemed happy to learn that Emma was planning to stay on Storybrooke and work a for a while before applying for her specialisation.

To Emma's surprise, Regina drove pass the clubs without even stopping in front of them. However, Emma did not comment on it because the conversation was too interesting, and the curiosity to know where Regina was really taking her was too big to care about their original plans. It was not until they reached Storybrooke's Marina that Regina finally slowed down, and parked as close to the docks as she could get.

Emma looked at Regina, confusion panting her face, so Regina explained, "Ruby told me to  _show_  you around, and I did. And now,"

"You'll kill me and get rid of the evidence?" the blonde said in a teasing tone.

"Why would I take a beautiful thing such as yourself away from the world, from me?" Regina asked and Emma could feel herself blushing.

"I don't know, to sell my organs?" Emma mumbled, something she did when she was nervous, Regina was not supposed to turn her joke into a compliment.

Regina laughed at Emma's suggestion, "Well, I'm not a surgeon, and anaesthesiologists don't really like getting all covered in blood," the brunette replied "Actually, I prepared something special for us," she added with a smile and took a picnic basket from her car's backseat, "I hope you didn't eat dinner,"

"I did not," Emma replied with a smile that went from ear to ear and a look that reminded Regina a lot like the first time they had met.

"Well, then," Regina opened her door, "Shall we?"

Emma nodded and got out of the car. She couldn't believe Regina had planned something for their evening - she must be the luckiest girl on the world, to have Regina's interest. They walked along the docks. The place was empty and silent, but it didn't look creepy, it looked quiet and romantic. The soft sound of the wave hitting the harbour not only calmed Emma's nervousness but filled her with courage. Without thinking two times about it, Emma decided to be bold and grab Regina's hand into hers. It was a pleasant surprise that Regina didn't pull away, instead, she leaned against Emma, their shoulders brushing as they walked.

They walked in silence, Emma gently stroking Regina's hand with her thumb, until they reached a bench and Regina sat on it, placing the picnic box next to her legs. Their hands were still tangled, as an indirect message telling Emma to sit next to her. Emma sat as close as it was physically possible to Regina, wanting to memorise the feeling of Regina's side against hers. They didn't talk, they just stared at the sea and found comfort in each other's warmth. After a while, Regina started shivering so Emma pulled an arm around the brunette's shoulders and brought Regina even closer to her body.

"I'm sorry," Regina said, almost intoxicated by Emma's perfume.

"Why do you keep apologising when it makes no sense?"

Regina moved away from Emma, so that she could look at the blonde straight to the eyes. "I'm sorry I ran away the first time we met," she stated.

"I'm sorry I didn't make you stay," Emma replied, and started to lean closer but stopped half way, remembering the last time she had been so close to Regina, only for the other doctor to run away.

Regina stared at Emma and could read the uncertainty in the blonde's eyes "It only takes 20 seconds of crazy amount of courage to make a decision," she said, using Emma's advice against her; but that was the little push Emma needed, because she continued leaning closer towards Regina.

And this time, the brunette didn't push the blonde away. This time Regina was wiser, this time she leaned in  _too_ , and pressed her lips against Emma's.

Their kiss was not perfect, there were not fireworks nor butterflies, but it was  _real_. The passion they felt, was raw and it could be tasted and smelt and seen. When they broke the kiss, green emerald stared into dark chocolate. Emma didn't think she would ever get tired of staring into the coffee pool Regina had as eyes; they were so full of emptiness she wanted to fill, so full of pain she wanted to nurse, so full of love she wanted to feel.

Emma didn't know much about love, but at that moment, she knew that she would love Regina until her last day.


End file.
